Electronic device comprising a support substrate and an encapsulating cover for an electronic component

ABSTRACT

A support substrate has a face above which at least one electronic component is fixed. A peripheral area of the face includes an annular local metal layer. An encapsulating cover for the electronic component includes a peripheral wall having an end edge that is mounted above the peripheral area. The annular metal local layer includes, at the periphery thereof, a series of spaced-apart teeth with notches formed therebetween. The teeth extend as far as the peripheral edge of the support substrate.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/133,065 filed Sep. 17, 2018, which claims the priority benefit ofFrench Application for Patent No. 1758608, filed on Sep. 18, 2017, thecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentireties to the maximum extent allowable by law.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments relate to the field of the electronic devices that comprisesupport substrates and encapsulating covers for electronic componentsmounted on the support substrates.

BACKGROUND

When the support substrates are provided with peripheral metal layersabove which the encapsulating covers are fixed and when the electronicdevices result from collective manufacturing, there are difficultiesparticularly linked to the delamination of the metal layers during thesawing of the support substrates between the metal covers and throughthe metal layers. There is also a requirement to reduce the parts of thesupport substrates extending beyond the encapsulating covers.

SUMMARY

An electronic device is proposed which comprises a support substratehaving a face above which at least one electronic component is fixed,and provided on a peripheral area of this face with an annular localmetal layer and comprising an encapsulating cover for said electroniccomponent, this encapsulating cover comprising a peripheral wall, an endedge of which is fixed above said peripheral area.

Said annular metal local layer has, at the periphery thereof, aplurality of spaced-apart teeth forming, therebetween, notches, theseteeth extending as far as the peripheral edge of the support substrate.

The device can comprise a bonding material between the end edge of theperipheral wall of the encapsulating cover, this bonding material atleast partially overlapping said annular local metal layer.

The bonding material can at least partially overlap the teeth of theannular local metal layer.

A collective electronic device is also proposed which comprises acollective support substrate having a face above which electroniccomponents are fixed, in locations, and provided on a peripheral area ofeach location with an annular metal local layer, and encapsulatingcovers for said electronic components, at a distance from each other andfixed above said locations, respectively, each encapsulating covercomprising a peripheral wall, an end edge of which is fixed above theperipheral area of the corresponding location.

Each annular local metal layer has a plurality of spaced-apart teethforming, therebetween, notches, these teeth extending into the spacesbetween the encapsulating covers.

The teeth are extended into areas for subsequent cutting of thecollective support substrate, that are located between the encapsulatingcovers.

The teeth of the adjacent annular local metal layers can join up.

The teeth of the adjacent annular local metal layers can be at adistance from one another.

The collective electronic device can comprise rings of bonding materialbetween the end edges of the peripheral walls of the encapsulatingcovers, this bonding material at least partially overlapping the annularlocal metal layers.

A method of manufacturing a plurality of electronic devices is alsoproposed, which method comprises the following steps: taking acollective electronic device as defined above and carrying out, betweenand at a distance from the encapsulating covers, an operation forcutting the collective support substrate and the teeth of said annularlocal metal layers, such as to obtain a plurality of individualelectronic devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Electronic devices and manufacturing modes will now be described asnonlimiting exemplary embodiments, illustrated by the drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a cross-section of an electronic device;

FIG. 2 shows a flat section, along II-II, of the electronic device ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a partial cross-section of a collective electronic device;

FIG. 4 shows a flat section, along IV-IV, of the collective electronicdevice of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 shows the flat local section of the collective electronic deviceof FIG. 3, with a partial tear-out of the cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an electronic device 1 which comprises asupport substrate 2 which is in the form of a plate that is rectangularor square, for example, and which has a front face 3 above which one ormore electronic components 4 are fixed.

The support substrate 2, which is made of a dielectric material, isprovided with an integrated interconnection network (not shown) in orderto produce electrical connections between the front face 3 and a rearface 5 of the support substrate 2. The electronic component orcomponents 4 can be mounted on the front face 3 of the support substrate2 by means of electric connection elements (which are not shown) linkedto said interconnection network or can be stuck to the front face 3 ofthe support substrate 2 and linked to said interconnection network bymeans of electric connection wires (which are not shown).

The support substrate 2 is provided, on a peripheral area 6 of the frontface 3 thereof, with an annular metal local layer 7.

As illustrated more precisely in FIG. 2, the local metal layer 7 has, atthe periphery thereof, a plurality of teeth 8 which are spaced apart andform, therebetween, notches 9, these teeth 8 extending as far as theperipheral edge of the support substrate 2.

The electronic device 1 comprises an encapsulating cover 10 for theelectronic component or components 4.

The encapsulating cover 10, in bowl form, comprises a wall 11 whichextends in front of the electronic component or components 4, forexample parallel to the support substrate 2, and a peripheral lateralwall 12 which extends, for example, perpendicular to the supportsubstrate 2.

The end peripheral edge 13 of the peripheral wall 12 is at a distancefrom and inside the peripheral edge of the support substrate 2, suchthat the support substrate 2 has a peripheral part which extends beyondthe end peripheral edge 13 of the peripheral wall 12 in the outwarddirection.

The end peripheral edge 13 of the peripheral wall 12 is fixed above theperipheral area 6 and therefore above at least the local metal layer 7,by means of a bonding material 14.

The teeth 8 and the notches 9 of the local metal layer 7 can be locatedoutside the end peripheral edge 13 of the peripheral wall 12 of theencapsulating cover 10 or can also extend below the end peripheral edge13 of the peripheral wall 12 of the encapsulating cover 10.

When the encapsulating cover 10 is made from a metal material, thebonding material 14 can be a solder material that attaches to the localmetal layer 7 or an adhesive.

When the encapsulating cover 10 is made from a plastic, the bondingmaterial 14 can be an adhesive.

Advantageously, the bonding material 14 extends below and on either sideof the end edge 13 of the peripheral wall 12 and extends as far as theperipheral edge of the support substrate 2.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3-5, the electronic device 1 can result fromcollective manufacturing of a collective electronic device 1A, forexample as described below.

There is provided a collective support substrate 2A which has locations15 corresponding substantially to the electronic devices 1 to beobtained. These locations form a rectangular or square mosaic.

In each location 15, the collective support substrate 2A is providedwith an electric connection network from one face to the other (whichnetwork is not shown).

In each location 15, the collective support substrate 2A is providedwith an annular local metal layer 7 which corresponds to the annularlocal metal layer 7 of each electronic device 1 to be obtained and has afront face 3A above which electronic components 4 are mounted.

As illustrated more precisely in FIG. 5, the teeth 8 of each local metallayer 7 extend into the spaces between the corresponding encapsulatingcovers 10.

The teeth 8 of the adjacent annular local metal layers 7, which arelocated facing one another, are extended and join up via portions 8A,respectively, which are distant from one another.

In each location 15, a ring of bonding material 14 has been deposited.

In each location 15, an encapsulating cover 10 as described above hasbeen put in place by squashing the bonding material 14 and the bondingmaterial 14 has been hardened, such that the encapsulating covers are ata distance from one another.

The collective electronic device 1A being produced, cuttingperpendicular to the collective substrate 2A is then carried out, forexample by sawing, along lines and columns which pass between and at adistance from the adjacent sides of the peripheral lateral walls 12 ofthe encapsulating covers 10 and between and at a distance from theadjacent legs of the annular local metal layers 7.

Thus, the cutting is produced through the collective substrate 1A andthe portions 8A joining the teeth 8 to be obtained, such as to eliminatethe portions 8A located in the width or area of the cutting and to onlyleave the teeth 8, and possibly through the parts outside theencapsulating covers 10 of the bonding material 14.

Thereafter, electronic devices 1 are obtained which correspond to thelocations 15, respectively.

During cutting, the cutting tool only meets the metal portions 8A whichjoin the teeth 8, to be obtained, of the annular local metal layers 7,such that, in each obtained electronic device 1, the attachment of theannular local metal layer 7 to the support substrate 2 and theattachment of the bonding material 14 to the annular local metal layer 7and to the end of the peripheral wall 12 of the encapsulating cover 10are preserved.

In an alternative embodiment, the teeth 8, to be obtained, of theannular local metal layers 7 could be extended into the width or area ofthe cutting without joining up, the portions located in the cuttingwidth or area being eliminated during cutting such as to only leave theteeth 8.

1. A method, comprising: forming annular metal local layers on a face ofa support substrate, the annular metal local layers surroundinglocations for receiving and mounting an electronic component; forming aplurality of notches in the annular metal local layers to define aplurality of spaced-apart teeth; mounting a plurality of encapsulatingcovers to the support substrate, each encapsulating cover mounted abovea corresponding one of the locations with an end edge of a peripheralwall of each encapsulating cover attached to the annular metal locallayer; and cutting, between and at a distance from adjacent ones of theencapsulating covers, along the annular metal local layers and throughthe collective support substrate and the teeth of said annular localmetal layers to obtain a plurality of individual electronic devices. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein forming the plurality of notchescomprises forming each notch to be surrounded by portions of the annularmetal local layers.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein mounting theplurality of encapsulating covers comprises aligning the end edge of theperipheral wall of each encapsulation cover with the notches.
 4. Amethod, comprising: forming an annular metal local layer on a face of asupport substrate, the annular metal local layer surrounding a locationfor receiving and mounting an electronic component; forming a pluralityof notches in the annular metal local layer; mounting an encapsulatingcover to the support substrate over said location with an end edge of aperipheral wall of the encapsulating cover attached to the annular metallocal layer; and cutting along said notches and at a distance from theperipheral wall through the annular metal local layer and the supportsubstrate to define a plurality of teeth in the annular metal locallayer that are spaced apart from each other by notches.
 5. The method ofclaim 4, wherein forming the plurality of notches comprises forming eachnotch to be surrounded by portions of the annular metal local layer. 6.The method of claim 4, wherein mounting the encapsulating covercomprises aligning the end edge of the peripheral wall with the notches.